East Meets West

12/31/2008 04:00PM
● By Super Admin

Jerry is a retired fireman in overall great physical condition for a
man in his late fifties. He is active and dynamic, has no notable bad
habits and he watches his food intake, yet in the beginning of November
he was taken to the hospital with embolisms affecting the function of
his heart.

As we grow older, maintaining and improving heart
health is an ever-growing concern. Sedentary lifestyles in combination
with poor eating habits contribute to premature physical decay, which
the heart and circulatory systems are among the first to experience;
but maintaining good heart health may not be difficult. Western science
has a great deal of advice to offer those concerned about heart health,
as does traditional Eastern medicine. Style talked to five health
professionals from varying disciplines in order to gain some
well-rounded insights on establishing and maintaining good heart
health, and here is what they had to say.

Curtis Fowler, MPT,
PA-C, works with the practice of Dr. Roy Greenberg in Folsom. His
approach is that of Western medicine with a clean and scientific
approach to heart health. Fowler sees a large number of patients with
diabetes, hypertension and obesity. He says that, contrary to popular
myth, Western medicine does not necessarily consider each system of the
body in isolation.

“A one size fits all answer would have to
start with diet,” says Fowler. He also says that, ideally, you want to
maintain as close to your recommended weight as you possibly can. When
you make food choices, try to go with foods that are low in saturated
fats and that contain no trans-fats. Better yet, stick to olive
oil. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Paint with your food – the
more colors on your plate the better. Fiber is your friend, so when the
option exists, grab the whole grain version of whatever you’re cooking.
Eat fish twice a week, or if you don’t like fish, supplement with a
fish oil capsule. Do not drink sodas or other beverages that are filled
with empty calories. “Exercise is fundamental. Thirty minutes a day of
walking is inexpensive, and it's easy on the joints,” explains Fowler.

“Nationally, weight still continues to rise, with the
expectation that over the next 10-15 years, upwards of 45 percent of
Americans will be classified as obese,” states Fowler. And, Fowler’s
opinions are not unusual in the medical industry. On November 11, 2008,
New York Times printed the results of a study demonstrating that those
who are overweight in their youth are demonstrably more prone to heart
health problems in their 40s and 50s. By allowing our children to
develop sedentary lifestyles and poor eating habits, we are, in effect,
fating them to a high likelihood of heart disease and, potentially,
shortened life spans.

Dr. Parhar of Parhar & Associates in
Roseville counsels that “for a healthy heart one needs to make sure
that blood pressure is well controlled, body weight is optimal, and
absolutely no tobacco use.” Tobacco irreversibly damages the lining of
the blood vessels. Parhar goes on to say that regular moderate exercise
and yoga are beneficial for healthy blood vessels and stress
reduction.

Eastern medicine focuses on the overall health of
the patient rather than the health of individual systems. It has gained
the name “holistic” in western culture. Cindy Swan (nutrition and
wellness coach) and Dr. Holthouse, both of the Center for Functional
and Integrative Medicine say, “Eastern strategies have long focused on
the impact of a person’s vitality, emotional health and spiritual
wellness, as they relate to the development of disease.” They also
note, “Western practitioners are becoming more aware of the need to
move beyond prescription drugs, and address the patient’s lifestyle as
the core cause of a vast amount of heart disease.” We are a complex
array of systems, all of which interact with and depend upon one
another. True heart health, therefore, cannot be attained unless the
patient is mentally and spiritually well. Dr. Lin Pan of Pan
Acupuncture and Herb agrees, he emphasizes that heart health cannot be
fully achieved unless the whole patient is taken into consideration.For more Healthy Heart tips and resources, be sure to pick up this month's copy
of Style-Roseville Granite Bay Rocklin edition. Check out the Distribution tab on this Web site
for some of our newsstand locations. Or, to order a copy of this issue,
please email Gloria Schroeder at gloria@sierrastyle.com, or call her at 916-988-9888 x116